Heavy-Hitting Benefits-- Give Until It Feels Good

This won’t hurt a bit.

Here come the charity world’s champion benefit givers, determined to separate people from their tax-deductible dollars with no pain at all.

Former First Lady Betty Ford--long before it became politically popular--was involved in “substance control,” raising millions of dollars for her Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage. As one close associate said, “Few people doing charity work have actually saved a life. With Betty. . . .”

At a working lunch at the Bistro Garden Tuesday, Mrs. Ford got a hand from Barbara Davis, Candy Spelling, Florence Hamilton and Laura Mako in putting together the final details on her Oct. 18 $500-a-person benefit at the Stouffer Concourse Hotel near LAX. The money raised at the completely underwritten event (all expenses are covered by donations) will go toward establishing a fund so those unable to pay for treatment at the Betty Ford Center--especially those whose insurance has run out--will be able to take out long-term loans to cover the $5,500 cost of the minimum four-week program.

Asking for advice from Barbara Davis, someone made the mistake of saying that Davis attends so many events “that this might be ho-hum.” The perky blonde quickly came back with “Not ho-hum. This is very special.” And, with the performance of Julio Iglesias and the expected presence of the heavy hitters, it most likely will be. . . .

A sure-shot good time is the Cedars-Sinai Women’s Guild annual benefit premiere. And to make it surer this time, look whom those clever women have signed up:

First, to chair the premiere festivities, Harriet Deutsch and her good buddy, Fran Stark (they’ve chaired at least a dozen of the dazzling evenings), along with Joanna Carson, another experienced hand.

For the film? Hey, “Crimes of the Heart,” the much-awaited film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Produced by Freddie Fields, it stars Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek--with at least Lange and Spacek expected at the party Dec. 3. Marcia Israel is chairing the supper-party part of the evening at the Century Plaza, along with co-chair Wendy Goldberg.

The film and party will cost $275 a person.

On the committee--Jackie Foster, Cookie Kates, Peggy Pollock, Judy Ovitz, Ruth Fox and Wanda McDaniels Ruddy, along with Guild president Marcia Koch.

Remember, this evening last year raised $500,000.

UPCOMING--Paul and Betsy Mazursky host the “Everybody Needs a Home” kick-off fund-raiser for Queue-Up Oct. 19. Queue-Up is a transitional housing agency that plans to “redeem and refurbish existing abandoned houses throughout the county.” . . . American Cinematheque benefits from the L.A. premiere Thursday of Irwin Winkler’s “Round Midnight.” This, the first benefit organized by the Entertainment Industry Council chaired by Jane Kagon, will be screened at Mann’s Chinese Theater. Following, folks head across the street to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, for some music from jazz greats. . . .